Feed reversing mechanism for sewing machines



June 18, 1935 asrrocm FEED REVERSING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 53:1 am Alszfraczr A TTORNEY June 18, 1935; s. LASZTOCZY FEED REVEHSING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllll llllll] INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY I allllllllrzm Patented June 18, 1935 UNITED. STATES FEED REVERSING MCHANISM' FOR SEWING MACHINES Stephen Lasztoczy, Bergenfield, N. J assignorto 1 Freydberg Brothers, Inc., New York, N. Y., a

ccrporation of New York Application December 19, 1931, Serial No. 582,147

10 Claims. (Cl. 112-210) 1 5 several different means for reversing the direction of operation of the feeding mechanism whereby the cloth could be fed in opposite directions so that it was unnecessary for the operator to turn the cloth around to stitch in different directions. There had also been proposed, several arrangements for controlling the length of the stitch, one such arrangement being disclosed in the United States Patent, No. 718,988, to W. F. Dial, et al., wherein a rod having a pointed or beveled end was inserted in the hollow drive shaft in such a manner that the pointed or beveled end would act on the eccentric block, which carries the rod for moving the feed dog, to shift the eccentric slightly to change theposition of the feed dog and thus alter the lengthof the stitch.

'All of the proposals and disclosures, of which I am aware, for effecting reversal of the direction of operation of the feeding mechanism or alteration of the length of the stitch, provide for manually operable mechanism either in the form of a foot operated treadle with a connection to a bell crank lever or the like, or a member operable by movement of the knee or other part of, the operators body to reverse the direction of stitching' and to maintain the feeding mechanism in reversed position. That is, the apparatus wasso designed thatin one normal position the feeding mechanism would operate in a predetermined direction-,but when the operating member for the reversing mechanism was moved to reverse the direction of feed, it was necessary for the operator to maintain the operating member by manual force'in the reversed position either by holding the foot or knee or other part of the body against the treadle or other actuating part connected to the operating member throughout the stitching operation in the reversed direction.

One of the most important objects of my invention is the provision of means for reversing I the direction of operation of the feeding mechanism by means which is also effective to maintain the mechanism in reversed operating position without the application of manual force, such mechanism being instantaneously effective to shift the feeding mechanism from one position to another while the machine is stitching, so that the operator is free to use both hands in guiding the cloth and does not have to be concerned with PATENT- orries holding the actuating member against the force tending to restore to normal .direction of feed.

Another object of the invention is to provide actuating mechanism for effecting-reverse oper--- ation of the feeding mechanism, which isconipact, durable'and easily applied to machines of existing type, and which may be readily made as part of new machines without substantiallyaltering the, design and construction thereof Another object of the invention is to provide actuating mechanism for reversing the direction of operation of the feeding mechanism which can also be'readily adjusted to alter the length of the stitch. H

Still another object of the invention is to'provide an operating member for said actuating mechanism which is quick acting and convenient- 1y located to the operator, and to provide in connection therewith, quick acting power means so that the direction of feed may be instantaneously reversed, even though the. machinemay be operating at a very rapid rate, thus affording the production of a neat andtightly stitched product without knotting or applying several stitches at a single point.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the fol lowing detailed description of the accompanying drawings, inwhich is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine of thetype disclosed in Patent'No; 718,988,

with my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal central vertical sectional view through the machine and the attachment embodying the invention'shown: in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed view taken on the line 3 of Fig. 2; i 1 r Fig. 4 is a view takenon the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective viewof the cloth feeding member and actuating parts; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic 'viewshowingithe circuit controlling the actuating memberh Referring to the drawings, the numeral l'indicates the casing of the sewing machine having the usual head 2 in which is mounted the needlebar 3 for reciprocating action by usual mechanism, not shown, and forming no part of the invention. Such needle actuating mechanism is driven by the shaft 4 which is mounted through the casing and which is journaled through a block 5 at one end of the casing; The shaft is driven by the pulley 6 over which is trained the endless belt 1 leading to another pulley driven from-any suitable source of power or mechanism, not shown, but well known in the art. A pulley 8 is keyed on the shaft 4, as by means of the screw 9, and an endless belt I0 engages over. said pulley and over a pulley, not shown, which actuates the usual shuttle, not shown, and forming no part of the invention.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the pulley '8 serves as aconvenient mounting for the adjustable feed eccentric I3, which has a projecting lug l4 through which and into the pulley 8 is tapped a screw I5 so that the feed eccentric may rotate on the screw I5 as a pivot, the'eccentric being limited in such movement by the slot l6 and screw H. The eccentric I3 is also provided with'alined openings to receive the screws l8 and I9 and on the end of the screw l8 there is a projection or abutment 20 extending into the bore 2| in shaft ,4, while a spring 22 is compressed between the screw l9 and the shaft 4. The eccentric 3 is also provided with an enlarged central'opening 23 through which shaft 4 extends, and the bore 2| of the shaft 4 receives a rod 24 having one end projecting beyond the end of the shaft and its inner end beveled as at 25 with the beveled face contacting the end of the projecting pin 20. The rod 24 will rotate with the shaft 4 and eccentric frame l3. The eccentric 3 has a hub 26 which receives'the end 21 of the rod 28,the other end of the rod 28 being connected to the shaft 29, Fig. 5, to actuate the same and to give a backward and forward movement through the connection 30 to the feed dog 3|.

Also mounted on the shaft 4 and abutting at one end the hub 26 and end 21 of the rod 28 is an ordinary eccentric 32 made fast on the shaft 4 by the screw 33 and this eccentric 32 receives the-upper end of the eccentric rod 35, the lower end of which is connected to and actuates the shaft 36 which through a usual connection designated generally at 31 imparts an up and down motion to the feed dog 3|.

The parts thus far'described are substantially identical with the arrangement shown in Patent No. 718,988, except that the opening 23 in the eccentric is of greater extent so that the eccentric may be shifted a greater distance across the shaft 4 to shift the rod 28 and the shaft 29 a greater distance to place the feed dog 3| in opposite extreme positionsfrom which it willoperate to reverse the direction of feed. Obviously, if the rod 24 is pushed inwardly until the beveled face has completely or nearly completely passed across the lower end of the projection 20 the eccentric |3 will have been moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 upwardly until the lower side of the flange 26 is in contact or substantially in contact with the shaft 4, which is sufficient to reverse the position and operation of the feed dog 3|. In said patent theeccentric is provided with an opening large enough to permit movement of the eccentric and parts carried thereby or associated therewith only sufficiently to alter the length of the stitch, and such adjustment can be made m'anually while the machine is not running, as the stitching most likely will be uniform throughout the complete sewing operation or a'step in an operation. However, -my invention aims to provide means for moving the eccentric l3 sufficiently to reverse the direction of feed as well as means for altering the length of the stitch, said second means being provided in conjunction with said first means, as will be presently explained. It will be understood by those familiar with the art that the machine operates at a Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that I connect to the flange 40 of the pulley 6 for rotation therewith, a tubular block 4| by means of the screw 42. This tubular block receives a tubular link 43 in which the end of the rod 24 terminates, the rod being keyed thereto bya screw 44 engaging in a recess 45' in the shaft 24, and the tubular link being secured to the block 4| for rotation therewith by key 46. Thus, it will be seen that the pulley 6, rod 4, shaft 24, block 4|, and link 43 rotate as a unit although. the shaft 24 may be shifted or moved axially of or within the shaft 4,when the link 43 is pressed inwardly or pulled outwardly. A coupling 41 is The link 43 and coupling 41 are secured together 7 by means of a washer 50 which abutsthe race 48 and through which a screw 5| is tapped into the bore 52 of the link 43. Another link 53 is pivotally secured by the pin 54 to the coupling 41 and by the pin 55 to the upper end of the lever 56 which is pivoted intermediate its ends at 51 to, lugs 58 on the supporting frame 59 which may be secured to the casing of the sewing machine by bolts 60. This supporting frame 59 is preferably located in the position shown and described and also supports a frame 6| which is secured thereto by bolts 62. The supporting frame 59 is also provided with a bracket 63 between which and the lever 55, and preferably between the pivots 55 and 51 is mounted a spring 64 to normally urge the upper end of the lever'outwardly to maintain the rod 24 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The spring may be retained in position by means of pins 65 on the lever and bracket 63. I v

The frame 6| supports an electro-magnet or solenoid 66 including the coil 6'! and movable core 68, the outer end69 of which is mounted through an opening 1!) in the block ll, said block being retained in position by means of the screws 12 extending through the lower end of the frame 6| and tapped into the block. The lower end of the lever 56 receives a screw 13 in alinement with the end of the projection 69, the screw being adjustable with respect to the end of the projection 69, and a nut 14 being provided on the screw for holding the same in adjusted positions. The outer end of the screw abuts one end of a small lever 15 which is pivoted at 16 to a stud 11 carried by or formed on the lower end of the lever 56, and the other end of the lever 15 is pivotally connected at 18 to a rod 79 which extends through a boss 80 also on the lower end of the lever 56. The inner end of the rod 19 abuts the support 6| and thus limits the movement of the increase in possible extent of movement.

In order to energize the electro-magnet 66 to move the core 68 and projection 69, I provide the usual wires, not shown, and housed in a cable 8| support 6| and the projection 69 is afforded an v and leadinginto the switch which may be of any quick make and break type, butpreferably of the spring tumbler .type indicated at 82. Such switches are so well known that it is deemed unnecessary in thisapplication to disclose the structure. The switch should be mounted convenient to a part of the operators'body, such, for instance, as the foot, knee, or farm, and preferably thelatter, as shown in. Fig. 1, where the switch is secured to a support 83 which in turn is se- ,cured by screws 84 to the base of the machine and convenient to the position of the operators right arm. The switch may be operated, to efficiently accomplish the purpose of the invention, by'a bell crank lever 85 pivoted at 86 to lugs 81 on the support 83. The bell crank lever is shown as having an enlarged depending end 88 disposed at a point adjacent which thezoperator will naturallyplace her or his arm. The other end of the bellcrank lever is connected by a link 89 to the switch operating extension 90.

In Fig. 6, the wiring diagram is illustrated, the same including a positive lead 9| connected to the coil 61 at 92, the coil being connected at 93' to a wire 94 leading to one contact 95 of the switch S, the other terminal of-the switch being connected to the negative terminal '96. It is preferable to interpose in the circuit a condenser C which is connected by the wire 91 to the wire 94 and to the wire 96 by the wire 98 so that the condenser will absorb the rebound of the high tension current when the circuit is broken to prevent the switch from being burned out, it being understood that the switch operates very rapidly to make and break a circuit through the coil 61 when the bell -crank'ilS, which is under spring tension of the switch mechanism, is depressed to move the member to operate the switch.

In operation the cloth shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1, is positioned beneath the presser foot of the machine over the feed dog 3| in the usual manner, and assuming that the parts are in the position shownin. Fig.2 with the point.

of the tapered end 25 of the rod under the projection 20, the pulley 6 is caused to rotate so that the shaft 4 will drive the needlebar, and the 'belt I8 will operate the shuttle for the purposes specified. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2' the cloth will be fed away from the operator asthe stitching is applied thereto by the needle. However, when it is desired to have the cloth fed back toward the operator, it is only necessary for the operator, by a quick movement of his or her arm, to push the end 88 of the bell crank 85 toward the support 83 so that the link 89 will pull the member 90 upwardly and establish a circuit described in connection with Fig. 6, at which time the electro-magnet will be energized and the projection 69 on the core 68 will be projected outwardly and engaging the head of the screw 13 will move the lower end of the lever outwardly and the upper end of the lever inwardly against the action of the spring 64 so that the rod 24 will be instantaneously shoved in so'that the tapered face 2.5.will slide under the projection 20 and move the eccentric l3 and rod 28'upwardly, or across the shaft, to reverse the position 'of the feed dog 3l.' This reversed position will be maintained so long as the switch remains closed and the eleotro-magnet is energized. It will be noted that the movement of the lever 56 is an oscillating movement and that the upper end moves in an arcuate path, whereas the rod 24 is to slide in a straight line path. The

pivotal connections at 55. and 54, however, transmit the force of the lever in a straight line path, as will be obvious. When the cloth has been fed back toward the operator a sufficient distance and the stitching is to be reversed so that the cloth will be again fed away from the operator, it is only necessary to again, by a quick movement of the arm, shove the end 88 of the bell crank 85 toward the bracket 83 so that the member 90 will again be moved upwardly to open the switch and break the circuit described in Fig. 6, whereupon the spring 54 will returnthe lever to the position of Fig. 2 and the core 88 willbe moved back in the magnet.

If it is desired to regulate or vary'the length of the stitch, it is only necessary to operate the screw 13 in themanner heretofore described to move the lever 15 and rod I9 so that the position of the head of the screw will be changed with respect to the end of the plunger, it beingapparent that the greater the length of the plunger disposed between the bracket GI and the boss 80 the less movement the lever 56 can have.

The strength of the electro-magnet, of course, is proportioned to the strength of the spring 64 and the force of both .are calculated on the basis of-the force necessary to shift the eccentric I3, rod 24, rod 28, and feed dog 3 I whichdepends on thetime that the parts are desirably located in.

either of such positions. The only physical eifort required is that involved in moving the switch operating mechanism against the action of the switch and this can be accomplished by aquick movement of any part of the body convenient to the switch'operating member.

What I claim is: 1. Apparatus for instantly reversing the feed mechanism of sewing machines while the machines are operating comprising a member operatively associated with said mechanism, a lever to move said member, meansnormally urging said lever in one direction of movement and adapted to hold said lever and member in a predetermined position establishing operation of said feed'mechjanism in a predetermined direction, electrically controlled means for moving said lever and member to establish operation of said mechanism in'a reverse direction, and a manually operated switch for operating said electrically controlled means.

. 2. Feed reversing mechanism for sewing machines having a cloth feeding member, a drive shaft, an adjustable eccentric on said shaft, and

ber and eccentric, comprising a' rod movable rod in another predetermined position, a manumechanism connecting said cloth feeding memf "ally controlled switch for: energizing and deenergizing said electrically actuated means, and means located conveniently to the operator for 'operatingsaid switch to effect change in direction of operation of said cloth feeding member while the machine is operating. I

- '3. Apparatus for instantly reversing the feed mechanism of sewing machines while in operation-comprising a member operatively associated with said mechanism, a lever operatively associated with said member, means normally urging said lever in one direction of movement and adapted to hold said lever and member in a predetermined position without application of manual force to establish operation of said feed mechanism in one direction, and electrically controlled means for moving said lever in reverse direction to another predetermined position to move said member and feed mechanism to a reverse feeding position, said second means being eifective to maintain said lever in said second position against the action of said first means withoutapplication of manual force.

4." In a sewing machine including a drive shaft,

a driving wheelconnected to said shaft, an' ad- :justable eccentric mounted on said shaft, cloth :feeding mechanism including a horizontally movable feed dog, a connection between said eccentric and said mechanism for moving said feed dog, a rod mounted in said drive shaft for longitudinal movement therein and projecting through and beyond saiddriving wheel, said rod having a beveled face and said eccentric having an internal abutment for contact by said beveled'face to shift said eccentric when said rod is moved in said shaft to move said feed dog, the combination of a lever mounted at an angle to said rod and having one endadjacent the projecting end thereof to move said rod, electrically actuated means for engaging the other end of saidlever for moving the same in one direction and maintaining it in a predetermined position, means normally urging the lever to a position opposite to that established by said electrically actuated means, a switch for energizing and deenergizing said electrically actuated means, and

. a connection between said rod and lever permitting rotation of the rod.

5. Feed reversing means for a sewing machine having a drive shaft, a feed controlling eccentric mountedon said shaft, a rod extending into said Lshaft, means on said eccentric and rod for shift- 'ing the position of the eccentric sufliciently to reverse the feed when the rod is moved, a pivoted lever, a connection between said lever and rod, an electro-magnet adapted tomove said lever. to move said rod relative to said eccentric, a switch for establishing a circuit through said electro-magnet, and an operating member for said switch located convenient tothe operator of the machine v6. The structure of claim wherein the lever is pivoted intermediate its ends and a spring is mounted between said pivot and the connection'between the lever and the rod and the electro-magnet is mounted on the other side of said pivot. r i

7. Feed reversing mechanism for sewing machines having a cloth feeding member, a drive shaft, an adjustable eccentric on said shaft, a rod slidably mounted in said drive shaft, said rod having a taperedend adjacent the eccentric, an abutment on the eccentric engageable with said tapered end of the rod-whereby theeccentric may be shifted by movement of the rod, said rod'and shaftvbeing rotatable as a'unit, nonrotatable, means for moving said rod relative'to said eccentric and abutment, a connection'be- Vmechanism of a sewing machine, comprising a support secured to the machine, an electro-magnetcarried by said support having a movable core, a lever pivoted to said support,'an abutment on said lever engageable by the core of the electro-magnet to move said lever, means normally urging said abutment toward said core, said abutment being adjustable with respect to the core, a second lever carried by said first lever and having one end engageable by said abutment, and a stop carried'by said second lever and movable with respectto said first lever bythe' movement of said abutment and said second lever to regulate the amount of movementof the first'lever.

-9. In combination with a sewing machineliaving a rotatable drive shaft and means for rotating the same, feed reversing mechanism comprising an adjustable eccentric mounted on the shaft, a horizontally movable feed dog, a connection between said eccentric and feed dog for moving said feed dog, a rod extending into said shaft and projecting beyond an end of said'shaft, said rod having a beveled face and said eccentric: having an internal abutment for contact by said beveled face toshift said eccentric,- means con-' necting said rod withthe means for rotating the shaft whereby the shaft'and rod may rotate as a unit, said connection permitting sliding movement of the rod within the shaft to move said eccentric, a lever, and acoupling connecting said lever and rod to accord shifting movement of the rod relative to the shaft by said lever and also permitting rotation of the rod relative to, the lever. v

10. In combination with a sewing machine having a rotatable drive shaft and means for rotating the same, feed reversing mechanism comprising an adjustableeccentric mountedon the shaft, a-horizontally movable, feed dog, a connection between said eccentric and feed dog for moving ,saidfeed dog, a rod extending into said shaft and projecting beyond an endof said shaft, said rod having a beveled face and said eccentric having an internal abutment for conrotating the shaft whereby the shaft androd may rotate as a unit, said connection permitting sliding movement of the rod within the shaftto move said eccentric, a lever, and a couplingconnecting saidlever and rod to afford shifting movement of the rod relative to the shaft by said lever and also permitting rotation of the rod relative to the lever, and means hormallyholding said lever, coupling and rodin a predetermined position establishing movement of the feed dog in a predetermined direction and permitting shifting movement of the lever, coupling and rod to change the directionof movement of the feed dog. I v

STEPHEN LASZ'lOCZY, 

